REDUCTION (ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY)

'Reduction' is a medical procedure to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment. When a bone fractures, the fragments lose their alignment in the form of displacement or angulation. For the fractured bone to heal without any deformity the bony fragments must be re-aligned to their normal anatomical position. Orthopedic surgeons attempt to recreate the normal anatomy of the fractured bone by ''reduction''.
''Reduction'' could be by Closed or Open methods. ''Open reduction'' refers to the method wherein the fracture fragments are exposed surgically by dissecting the tissues. ''Closed reduction'' refers to manipulation of the bone fragments without surgical exposure of the fragments. Once the fragments are reduced, the ''reduction'' is maintained by application of casts, traction or held by implants which may in turn be external or internal.